AUG 2 — This is a busy year to be a Singaporean.

We mourned the loss of Lee Kuan Yew. Hosted the SEA Games, nabbed our first UNESCO World Heritage Site, got a whole extra day of public holiday-ing and now there’s talk of an election.

But the defining (red and white) thread that runs through the year has undoubtedly been SG50.

The perky little red circle — SG50 logo — was first unveiled last year as the government invited the nation to share in the celebrations. A $5 million (RM13.9 million) celebration fund was set aside for projects initiated by ordinary citizens; you could apply with your idea and receive a grant to be a part of the commemoration.

Maybe it was the collective commitment to partying that persuaded popular travel guide Lonely Planet to declare Singapore the best place in the world to visit in 2015.

Things were going well. We were all excited. And then somewhere along the way it all went from a happy well-executed celebration to over-the-top pandering with a good dollop of nauseating commercialism.

The cherry on the (fish) cake was when the chewy Singaporean staple of a fishcake was shaped into a deformed SG50 with a couple of cents extra slapped on and hawked as a testament to our patriotism. Okay, I know we’re a nation of food lovers but I only have this to say: #simisaiSG50 man.

Singapore Airlines stewardesses sit on trishaws as they take part in a National Day Golden Jubilee parade rehearsal at the Padang in Singapore July 25, 2015. The city-state’s 50th independence day falls on August 9. — Reuters pic

I wish I could claim credit for this witty criticism but the expression was first found on a blog (https://simisaialsosg50.wordpress.com/) that follows the ever-increasing ludicrous SG50 merchandising created by another Singaporean who summed it up as: I love my country… but recently, there’s too much, really too much, events/brands/initiatives jumping onto the SG50 wagon.

We’ve seen portable fans, biscuits, bacon, diapers, routers and the colours red and white don’t even need to be a sensible fit — just slap an SG50 logo on it and declare yourself a patriot.

From where I’m standing, it honestly seems like a combination — a genuine desire to celebrate 50 years of achievements, a government eyeing a political opportunity and the inevitable commercial band wagon jumping by brands hoping to make a fast buck by sticking SG50 on whatever they can sell.

Now “fun-packs” (goodie bags usually reserved for attendants of the annual parade) are being handed out to citizens across the island. It is filled with all sorts of things including a Lee Kuan Yew memorial booklet. Yes, a book to memorialise the founding father stuffed into a “fun-pack.”

Is it possible we’ve lost the plot?

I think I am patriotic. I love my country and the months I spent living abroad for school — one happy memory is when a good friend and fellow Singaporean came to visit me in August and we spent an evening with wine and belting out Stand Up for Singapore and all the other nation-building tunes long drummed into our heads (and hearts) including my personal favourite We Are Singapore.

The very first time I vividly recall registering the National Day Parade, I was 10 years old and watched it with the family domestic. She was awed by the spectacle and I for the first time watched it as more than just the prelude to the fireworks we would usually strain to see from our windows.

Seeing it from her point of view, I felt pride. At 10, it is difficult to say what the pride was for. I wasn’t into soldiers, guns, airplanes and explosions but I guess I understood that what was being displayed was the strange pride of my unusual nation.

And I think what has happened is that by trying to stretch the spirit of SG’s inherently quirky National Day to this extent, we have cheapened the entire spectacle.

But I did get a great SG50 deal on Scoot.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.